Bidwell Street Bistro is my version of a country club. It’s a special place where I enjoy going to dinner but it’s more than just a restaurant. It feels comfortable yet fancy, festive and fun. We usually see someone we know – and if not – the staff feels like friends because we see them so often. I love the Caesar salad, appetizers and desserts. There is always a new entree to try and everything is delicious. I like to order mashed potatoes so that I can eat some there and bring home a doggy bag for the next day.
Diane’s recent birthday dinner; executive chef Wendi Mentink, center.
They have a new lounge attached and the live music is great. I love the wine tastings during the middle of the week. One night we tasted three different vodkas; too bad we were out of town for the bourbon tasting! It would be fun to bring my dad to an evening like that. The owner is very gracious and Wendi, the head chef, is my youngest daughter’s mentor. Wendi provided her with the opportunity to do a senior project there and she went on to culinary school. Wish I could eat there once a week!
Amy and Diane, photographed with server Ryan Statham.
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Chardonnay Tasting at Bidwell Street Bistro
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 5-8:30 p.m.
$12 per person
1004 East Bidwell St.
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 984-7500
Archives for 2007
Squaw Valley Brew, Jazz & Funk Fest
Squaw Valley holds a special place in my heart; right next to the love I have for a great drink perfectly paired with a delicious meal. So when I showed up to Squaw Village on a recent Saturday afternoon to find the 6th annual Brews, Jazz & Funk Fest in full swing, I immediately found myself salivating.
This year’s festival was my first, but certainly will not be my last. The evening started the way my dining experiences usually end – with dessert. The appropriately named “Apple Pie Apple” is a treat for foodies everywhere, especially those with an insatiable sweet tooth like mine. It’s made from a green apple dipped in caramel, then white chocolate, and covered with a thin layer of cinnamon, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. After indulging with dessert first, my family and I headed toward the Blue Coyote Sports Bar and Grill to reward ourselves after a long day of adventure.
The patio seating of the Blue Coyote was ideal for a warm summer night in the mountains, and we were especially lucky to be entertained by the smooth sounds of funk artists Porter, Batiste & Stoltz, from the Meters. The food at the Blue Coyote was simple and All-American, perfect for an evening outdoors. I ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad, my go-to dinner of choice when the weather’s warm and I’m new to a restaurant. The salad turned out to be exactly what I needed; and the perfect fuel for the hour of sampling and dancing that was to follow.
As if having a great time amongst the best company isn’t enough, all proceeds from the event benefited the Truckee Tahoe Humane Society. Therefore, locals and visitors alike were encouraged to come out and “help and support Tahoe’s pets one beer at a time!”
Weekend Round-up
Suzanne Peabody Ashworth and Jim Mills
What a great gastronomic weekend! We started early on Saturday and visited the grand opening of the East Bay Culinary Center. We were greeted by fellow Slow Food member Jim Mills who was there with Suzanne Peabody Ashworth of Del Rio Farms. Jim offered us samples of beautiful, perfectly ripe peaches, figs, plums and blackberries.
We grazed through dozens of food stations and enjoyed:
All before 9:00 a.m.! My husband said, ‘this is the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time!’ Clearly, we both have iron stomachs.
We watched a portion of pastry chef Ginger Power’s demonstration in the new kitchen, which by the way, is WAY cool! As mentioned in a previous entry, chef and culinary instructor Carolyn Kumpe will be leading the new culinary center and classes and demonstrations will begin next month (we’ll make sure to post activities on sacfoodies.) We would have liked to have stayed all day and watch all the demonstrations, but Michael Buble and a trip to San Francisco awaited us….
I’ve heard great things about the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, so I was excited when fellow Sac Foodie, Melinda McRae, myself and our foodie hubbies found ourselves with a few extra hours to spend in the City on Saturday on the way to a concert.
The colorful produce won me over. From rainbow chard to red, orange, and yellow peppers and radishes, it was a gorgeous spectrum. Since I work with the United States Potato Board, I was excited to see Russian Banana and Rose Fir specialty potato varieties too. We took home heirloom tomatoes for a colorful Caprese salad, and blackberries for snacking by the handful.
The farmers market snakes around the Ferry Plaza Building, which is a recently renovated foodie landmark of its own. After winding through the marketplace, we found a spot outside at Ferry Plaza Seafood for fresh oysters and San Francisco’s own Anchor Steam Beer. With clear skies, a Bay Bridge view, and lots of people-watching, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon in the “city by the bay,” to quote one of my favorite 80’s bands.
Midweek Morsels 08.23.07
Tonight, the Shack takes you to Trinidad & Tobago:
- Calypso Chicken
- Curried Pork
- Rice & Peas
- Roti
- Shrimp stuffed peppers
Open at 6pm, food and music around 7pm.
The Shack
5201 Folsom Blvd
457-5997
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Nobody likes Mondays. To most, they mean early morning alarms and the start of another workweek. But at the Mohr family household, we have found the cure-all solution to those Monday blues. My family returns home every Monday evening to a simple cardboard box filled to the brim with the best organic produce Capay Valley has to offer.
Last week, we received:
- Tomatoes (2 lb)
- Peaches (1.5 lb)
- Bartlett Pears (1.5 lb)
- Figs (.5 lb)
- Lemon Cucumbers (1 lb)
- Green Seedless Grapes (1.5 lb)
- Mixed Peppers (12 oz)
- Mixed Eggplant (1.5 lb)
- Fresh Lavendar (1 bunch)
- Melon (1)
The best part is that each delivery is accompanied by a Farm Newsletter that incorporates the contents of the box in three delicious and healthy recipes. For example, with last week’s produce we made a Marinated Heirloom Tomato Salad which was the perfect summer treat! The “Farm Fresh To You” organic produce box has not only expanded my fruit and veggie vocabulary but has also helped my family to start the week on a healthy note!
This delivery service comes with additional options, including a “Small Box” or “Mostly Fruit” choice. You can sign up online at www.farmfreshtoyou.com!
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East Bay Restaurant Supply Center opens new Culinary Center – Open House
Sat., Aug. 25 – so much local talent, and it’s FREE!
I have been to the East Bay Restaurant Supply Center a few times and it is like being a kid in a candy store – so many fun foodie gadgets! They are now adding a culinary center and the public is invited to its open house this Saturday. Former San Francisco chef, Charlotte’s Bakery owner, and current culinary instructor, Carolyn Kumpe is leading the new culinary center. Her goal is to showcase local chefs and restaurants, and have fun with food. Saturday’s culinary class schedule:
- 8-9 a.m. Chef Ann Martin Rolke/Sacatomato: Summer fruit coffee cake, Fridge-cleaning frittata, book signing of Hands-Off Cooking
- 9-10 a.m. Chef Ginger Elizabeth Powers/Couture Chocolates
- 10-11 a.m. Chef Tim Jordan/Old Soul Bakery: Fabulous Flatbread
- 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Chef Oahn Nguyen/Andy Nguyen Restaurant #2: Shrimp & Pork Imperial Rolls
- 12-1 p.m. Chefs Dani Luzzatti and Yvette Woolston/Wine Konnection
- 1-2 p.m. Chef Adam Pechal/Tuli Bistro: Pizza by Tuli
- 2-3 p.m. Chef Michelle/Crepe Cafe: Crepes Suzette
- 3-4 p.m. Chef Richard Hyman/Old Arch Brewerey, Lodi: House-Made Mozzerella and Caprese Salad
- 4-5 p.m. Dr. Giovanni Gaudia/culinary instructor direct from Italy: Authentic Regional Italian Cooking
Free samples and demonstrations provided by:
- Bella Bru Baking Company
- Chef Andreas Hoffman — “Blatter’s by Hoffman” — Fine Foods & European Wholesale Bakery
- Knife Sharpening Demonstration by Star Sharpening — Bring 3 dull knives get 1 sharpened for free
- Ellen’s Gourmet Kitchen — Gourmet Caterer
- “Whiskey Wild” Contemporary Saloon “Opening Soon”
- Cheese Works Wholesale Fine Cheese Distributor
- Chef’s Warehouse Wholesale Fine Food Distributor
- Produce Express Wholesale Fine Produce Distributor — Jim Mills and Suzanne Ashworth
- Chef Antonio Lozano from Yuba City & Marysville — “Antonio’s Quick Lunch”
- King Smith from “Mighty Kong Muffins”
- Mad Dog Mesa EVOO Bob & Amy Day — “Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting”
- Chef Raul Soto — “Super Churro & The Whole Enchilada”
- Chef Labella Pasto — “Personal Chef Services Fine Dining Without Leaving Home”
- Carl Yasbeck from Walter Zebrowski Manufacturing Representatives — “Crepes & Panini”
- Woody Clarke from Premier Marketing Group — “Restaurant Equipment: Wolf, Vulcan, Hobart, Traulsen Etc.”
East Bay Culinary Center in Sacramento
522 N. 12th Street (off of Richards Blvd.)
Saturday, Aug. 25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
916.440.0620
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Oto’s is Oishi!
Oto’s Marketplace — my blue “Townie” is parked out front
Former chef, fellow Slow Food member and produce expert Jim Mills told us about Oto’s Marketplace and stated it had the freshest fish in town. My husband and I rode our bikes over there this weekend, and by 1:00, they had already sold most of their supply, but we did find a gorgeous selection of sushi-quality seafood, including ahi tuna, salmon, snapper, octopus and Chilean sea bass (which we bought – I have never seen such a beautiful, thick piece of sea bass before. By the way, according to the U.S. State Department, Chilean sea bass is not an endangered species, however, there is a problem with illegal fishing of sea bass.) We grilled the fish and served it with baby artichokes, morel mushrooms, corn fritters (that we had seen on America’s Test Kitchen that morning) and a yummy, rich sauce reduction.
Sushi-quality fish is displayed on ice
Sushi master Ray Yamamoto, his assistant is wondering, ‘why is that gaijin taking pictures?’
Sushi master Ray Yamamoto creates about 150 packages per day, and Oto’s sells out by 4:30. (The Bee’s Bob Sylva recently wrote about Yamamoto-san.) In addition to offering fresh fish and sushi, they also carry a huge selection of Japanese food items, sake and Japanese beer – kanpai! Oto’s will be hosting a grand opening celebration on Sat., Sept. 8 that will include food demonstrations, free samples, a special gift for the first 100 customers, as well as chances to win many other prizes.
Finally — Pocky for MEN!
Various fish cakes, bean paste and boiled yam delicacies
Oto’s Marketplace
4990 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
916.424.2398
Open seven (7) days a week
Monday to Friday – 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wine Country Day Trippin'
One of the greatest things about living in the Sacramento area is our close proximity to everything that Northern California has to offer… a two hour drive east lands you in Lake Tahoe, two hours west and you’re in San Francisco. There are so many delicious day trips a Sacramento foodie can take; it’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite. But, during the summer, I’d have to say that my absolute favorite day trip is a drive to Napa or Sonoma wine country for wine tasting.
The beautiful scenery of a drive down Highway 12 immediately puts you at ease – there’s just something about hills of never ending grapevines that makes you feel completely transported…. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah – a day trip to wine country! Although I looove to go wine tasting, this past weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a “bottling party” in Sonoma.
Two spinach quiches and I tagged along with my boyfriend’s family to their friend’s vineyard in Sonoma. Although they sell the majority of their grapes to big name labels, they save some grapes each year and throw a wine bottling party for friends and family to share in the winemaking experience.
After we added our side dishes to the five picnic benches full of food, I immediately went to check out the bottling process. The barrels of wine were lined up in a small barn and the wine was being pumped into a large plastic vat in the middle (see photo above). The wine was then siphoned into tubes that pump the wine into empty bottles. One of the coolest things was how they cork them – the full bottle is placed on a corking contraption (oh how I love alliteration!) and the cork is literally pushed into the neck of the bottle by force.
The finished bottles were then passed down a table of “labelers” – a line of eager volunteers with pens-in-hand ready to put their own mark on each bottle. My favorite label – certainly inspired by the writings in a bathroom stall – read: “For a good time – Drink this wine!” After much food, wine, dancing and fun, each family left the party with a case of the just-bottled wine – the perfect ending to a fabulous Sonoma day trip.
Side note: I just have to mention that I saw the CUTEST cupcakes at this party… chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with buttercream frosting and grape bunches drawn in icing. What a great idea… and one I’m certainly going to borrow for the next wine-themed party I go to!
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